Nearly a Ton of Trash Pulled from Lake Tahoe’s Depths in Groundbreaking Cleanup

Clean Up The Lake (CUTL) has wrapped up its Tahoe Deep Dive Pilot Project, a groundbreaking effort exploring the unseen depths of Lake Tahoe between 35 and 55 feet, uncovering nearly a ton of litter hidden below the surface.

Over six months, divers conducted 29 dives across 6.1 miles of lakebed and 4.75 miles of Placer County shoreline, hauling out 1,933 pounds of debris, including bottles, anchors, and other trash. The project tested new deep-water cleanup methods using Diver Propulsion Vehicles (DPVs) and Nitrox to improve diver efficiency and safety.

Preliminary data suggests that if these litter densities hold true across the lake, as much as 29,000 pounds of trash may still be resting in Tahoe’s deeper waters, exceeding the debris totals from CUTL’s historic 72-mile cleanup in 2021. Encouragingly, divers reported no new invasive species beyond known populations like crayfish and Asian clams.

“This project helped us understand what lies unseen in Tahoe’s deeper waters and how to approach those depths safely and efficiently,” said Jenny Uvira, Programs Manager for Clean Up The Lake.

Beyond cleanup, CUTL expanded its Litter Education and Awareness Program (LEAP), reaching nearly 1,700 students across the Truckee-Tahoe region with lessons on lake stewardship and pollution prevention.